Senate advances bill to bolster cybersecurity defenses in 84-11 vote

The Senate agreed to move forward with Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-CT) cybersecurity bill after months of contentious negotiations. The motion to proceed to the Cybersecurity Act was approved 84-11 after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) agreed to an open amendment process. Although the bill cleared this test vote, it faces an uphill battle to reach the finish line. While senators are meeting to try and reach a final agreement, disagreements remain.

Republicans voting against the motion to proceed to the bill were Sens. Mike Johanns (NE), Rand Paul (KY), Ron Johnson (WI), Marco Rubio (FL), Dean Heller (NV), Pat Roberts (KS), Mike Enzi (WY), John Barrasso (WY) and Jerry Moran (KS). Democrats opposing the motion to proceed were Sens. Jon Tester (MT) and Max Baucus (MT).

A number of senators already have announced plans to put forward a series of amendments. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) said the co-sponsors of the Secure It Act plan to offer the competing cybersecurity bill as an amendment in the nature of a substitute in a speech on the Senate floor. Sen Hutchison said the Senate should take up Secure It over Lieberman's bill because it had a greater chance of passing both chambers. Sens. Al Franken (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Coons (D-DE) said they plan to introduce amendments aimed at beefing up the privacy protections in the bill. Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) also plans to introduce an amendment that would create a chief privacy officer in the Office of Management and Budget, which Sen Blumenthal is expected to support.